Nail skills learnt in college that you don't use in real life?

[laurakate]

I have learnt acrylics, gels, fibreglass, smile lines, sculpting, blending natural tips and airbrushing in college on nvq3.

In real life I use acrylic and gel only with well less tips for both natural and french tips. I only create a smile line if using gels. I don't have to do much blending due to the tips i use. I don't do sculpting/airbrushing/paraffin wax treatments.

Reason for this is that in working for other people they value speed most highly which i can understand. I guess it's like "we need to get our therapists doing nails now...there's no time to practice sculpting, smile lines and blending natural tips.

As a result of being shown easier ways to produce nice looking and technically sound nails, I have neglected some of the techniques learnt at college. I understand that sculpting and blending natural tips and creating your own smile lines come with their own unique advantages but I have just never been required to use them.

Is it that the breadth of skills taught on a college course are out of touch with the industry or is it that the industry is so profit hungry that a lot of the more technically demanding skills are thrown out of the window because time spent getting speed up is time that could be used elsewhere?

*My post is based on how we were told to do the nails working at a busy day spa and this technique is something that I will be currently using in my new self employed role, at least for now.

 

[twid]

It must be 3 of 4 years since I've done a paraffin wax mani and I've never done a chest wax lol

Karaxxx

 

[laurakate]

It must be 3 of 4 years since I've done a paraffin wax mani and I've never done a chest wax lol

Karaxxx

Now you mention it I've never done a chest wax either. In my last job it used to be noteworthy if a back wax was booked in lol!

Regarding paraffin wax, I'm not sure if many brands embrace its use. I'm Jessica trained and the luxury treatments include mitts and boots but that's it.

 

[alpina]

So what do you do when the client comes back for a rebalance in two weeks time? I do often use french well-less tips when doing a brand new set, but when it comes time to rebalance I create smile lines just as beautiful as the original set using white powder.

Surely they don't ask you to do a soak off and new set every two weeks?

 

[laurakate]

So what do you do when the client comes back for a rebalance in two weeks time? I do often use french well-less tips when doing a brand new set, but when it comes time to rebalance I create smile lines just as beautiful as the original set using white powder.

Surely they don't ask you to do a soak off and new set every two weeks?

This is going to sound nuts (and perhaps a bit flippant) but the customers who come to a day spa have most often travelled so far to be there that the likelihood of them coming back for a rebalance with us isn't high.

That's why as a newly self employed person who is aiming to get a regular client base Im thinking that i might need to look into using other techniques so it doesn't bite me in the behind when it comes to a rebalance.

 

[alpina]

This is going to sound nuts (and perhaps a bit flippant) but the customers who come to a day spa have most often travelled so far to be there that the likelihood of them coming back for a rebalance with us isn't high.

That's why as a newly self employed person who is aiming to get a regular client base Im thinking that i might need to look into using other techniques so it doesn't bite me in the behind when it comes to a rebalance.

That's fair enough :biggrin: But when you go self employed your regular loyal clients will be your bread and butter. You wont be getting a constant turnover of new one off clients like the day spa does. You need to get each new client booked back in for 2 weeks time (rebook them before you let them leave) and then be able to rebalance those nails and have them looking as fresh new and perfect as the original set. If you can they will most definitely be become loyal clients.

Get in and practice those smile lines at home on tips, they will get better and easier to do with a bit of constant practice. The easiest way for me to practice was using two clear well-less tips. Stick one tip on the underside of the tip you will be working on so that you can use that tip as a guide to follow with your white l&p, kind of like learning to colour in between the lines.

I found this helped me in the beginning to get a feel for the technique while still having a line to follow to show me how far up into each corner to push my white. Eventually get rid of the tip from underneath and have a go without the visual guide so you don't come to rely on it too much though.

 

[Twinners]

That's fair enough :biggrin: But when you go self employed your regular loyal clients will be your bread and butter. You wont be getting a constant turnover of new one off clients like the day spa does. You need to get each new client booked back in for 2 weeks time (rebook them before you let them leave) and then be able to rebalance those nails and have them looking as fresh new and perfect as the original set. If you can they will most definitely be become loyal clients.

Get in and practice those smile lines at home on tips, they will get better and easier to do with a bit of constant practice. The easiest way for me to practice was using two clear well-less tips. Stick one tip on the underside of the tip you will be working on so that you can use that tip as a guide to follow with your white l&p, kind of like learning to colour in between the lines.

I found this helped me in the beginning to get a feel for the technique while still having a line to follow to show me how far up into each corner to push my white. Eventually get rid of the tip from underneath and have a go without the visual guide so you don't come to rely on it too much though.

That is an awesome idea! Smiles are my current nemesis...I love this forum, it's such a mine of information xx


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[linzi]

I don't:

file side to centre with an emery board
soak nails for 10 minutes without consulting and examining
nip off the hyponychium
use buffing cream and chamois
put full well tips straight on the nail and blend with acetone
put white tips on and leave it like that.
brush two polish-thin coats of gel on
file the natural nail half to death before applying 'enhancement' product with a contaminated, shared, splay-bristled brush.



It was a good college in other areas; they just hadn't bothered updating their nail skills in some time :o

It's been ages since I used my paraffin wax too - I can feel a pedi coming on later

 

[laurakate]

Lol! Oh my goodness i totally forgot about buffing cream! I think I've got a pot lying around somewhere that I've not used since I finished level 2! I could be wrong but buffing cream sounds like a very nineties thing. Is it just one of those boxes that has to be ticked to get qualified?

 

[linzi]

Lol! Oh my goodness i totally forgot about buffing cream! I think I've got a pot lying around somewhere that I've not used since I finished level 2! I could be wrong but buffing cream sounds like a very nineties thing. Is it just one of those boxes that has to be ticked to get qualified?

Hehe, and the banana shaped chamois buffer?

I think it's far older than the 90's?

No, my dear... it's all part of the routine that one must not deviate from :lol: It's cos a lot of colleges just haven't updated their education materials since jesus left Clydebank. It's a shame too, because they're STILL teaching the exact same methods!

 

[laurakate]

Hehe, and the banana shaped chamois buffer?

I think it's far older than the 90's?

No, my dear... it's all part of the routine that one must not deviate from :lol: It's cos a lot of colleges just haven't updated their education materials since jesus left Clydebank. It's a shame too, because they're STILL teaching the exact same methods!

Haha! Yeah I've got the buffer as well lol! I totally forgot about that step because post college I went onto the lovely Jessica mani/pedi which make far more sense to me than what I learnt at college.

I remember my nails feeling good after a good buffing but it doesn't feel strictly necessary.

I want to teach ultimately and thinking about this whole buffer thing is making me think that after getting my skills up to industry level I will have to backtrack in terms of what I might be teaching others. I think I'd just prefer to be honest and say to students "we're teaching you as much as we possibly can but please be aware that trends change and as a result you might find some of this a little dated once you're out in industry".

 

[mum]

I think you've answered your own question! You are working in a place that has it's own requirements. Another one will be different. A L3 is designed to teach students as many different techniques as possible (many feel that sculpting is the quickest way for example). This SHOULD mean that you have the basic ability to work in any salon and meet their requirements.

Now, how this is all taught is another thing! Nipping the eponychium, using a chamois, blending with acetone are definitely examples of teachers not updating their skills!!!! (except that blending with acetone does have the VERY occasional use) But a 'full service' should know how to do all those things to a reasonable standard

 

[Sian H]

I' was never taught blending with acetone. How would this be done ? Just out of curiosity x


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[laurakate]

We were taught that blending with acetone is like a cheats way to blend. You blend the tip with a file before it goes on the nail and then once you've stuck it on you apply acetone which breaks down the bit of the tip attached to the nail and hence your blending.

Nsi used to do something called line out to do this chemical blending with. Not sure if they still do?

 

[Sian H]

Oh I see, thanks for that I'd never heard of it. Although everything else that's been mentioned ie soaking, buffing paste, cuticle cream etc we did lol x


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[Balance Andover]

Lets just say that the manicure routine I learnt at college went out of the window when I did some training with Lena White/OPI.

I now don't:

Use a cuticle knife (and have to use it so gently that nothing comes away)
Soak repeatedly
User the dreaded buffing paste/chamois tool.
Perform that very long winded massage routine, I'd rather spend the time giving them an amazing finish.


I didn't even invest in paraffin wax or heated mitts (and am glad that I didn't)

One thing I did not learn (which should be taught) is a basic dry prep for cuticles.

 

[LolliDolli]

One thing I did not learn (which should be taught) is a basic dry prep for cuticles.

Agree! And the 15 minute arm
Massage! How did we even manage to make it last that long haha. Can still give a good thorough massage in a shorter time that's just as relaxing!


And can't remember who asked but NSI do still do line out.



Laura xx

 

[laurakate]

Lets just say that the manicure routine I learnt at college went out of the window when I did some training with Lena White/OPI.

I now don't:

Use a cuticle knife (and have to use it so gently that nothing comes away)
Soak repeatedly
User the dreaded buffing paste/chamois tool.
Perform that very long winded massage routine, I'd rather spend the time giving them an amazing finish.


I didn't even invest in paraffin wax or heated mitts (and am glad that I didn't)

One thing I did not learn (which should be taught) is a basic dry prep for cuticles.

Oh yeah those awful cuticle knives made me feel like I was gonna be a safety freak and rubbish beauty therapist for not wanting to use them. Good to know there's no place for them in industry!

 

[HelenT59]

Does anyone still buff the nails during a manicure or just use cuticle pusher to remove?

 

[laurakate]

Does anyone still buff the nails during a manicure or just use cuticle pusher to remove?

Just a cuticle pusher for me. I use the attachment on the solis manicure tool.